Safety device



Sept. Z8, 1943. v A

sAFETY DEVICE Filed oet. 5, 1941 FOXv . zngglgnnramn--uJ--g--um nvenfor KSZ-fie ./67. 175x Gttomegs Patented Sept. 28, 1943 ,y UNITED STATESY PATENT-yOFFICE? t 2,330,700 jy f ,i'ff

. SAFETY DEVICE versie A. Fox, Detroit, Mich. e Appiicat'imoctobere,1941'seria1N0.i13,4cs

f 4 claims. (ci

This invention relates,- in general,` to safety de-l vices and, in particular,` to those employable in conjunction with the door openings of heat compartments, such as ovens.

'y Oneof the objects of the present invention is to provide a new and improved safety device capable of meeting and overcoming the dangers which inevitably accompany inadvertently built up pressures within a compartment heated by the burning of a combustible fuel, such as gas.

Another object is to provide anew and irnproved safety` device for the door of a compartment by the usefof which said door is permitted to open freely and automatically when the pressure Within said compartment reaches a predetermined value; .l

,Another Aobject is to provide a new and improved safetydevice `for thedoor of a compartment in which excessive pressures may be inadvertently built up, said device being inexpensive in construction and assembly and faultlessly operable automaticallyto permit the free opening of Saiddoorwhen said pressures are reached.

V Another Objectis `to provide a new and improvedlnsafety `device `which is operable for effectively4 and safely relieving excessive pressures built up Within a heating compartment,r and which device iseasily and readily adjustable to meet different pressure conditions.

i v Another object is to provide a .new and imi proved pressurefrelieving safety device which the combustion of fuelsuch as gas, and which gas, through inadvertence, might not be ignited, in which event,` excessive pressures would be built up. The safety device nds its use with this type of compartmentin that it enables the doorto open automatically to bring about reliefof the dangerously high pressures. Such a compart ment is usually heatinsulated through `the use of composite wall structures, one of thesewalls being shown at I Il and said wall being provided with an access opening `I2 along one side of which a door I4 is hinged for swinging into or out of said opening to close or open the compartment residing on the other side of said wall.

The edge of door I4 opposite the edge carrying the hinges therefor which are shown at I6 has fixed thereto in any suitable manner the upper and lower flanged portions 'I8 and 2!! of a rectangularly shaped box-like structure, generally indicated at 22.v tally spaced, vertically extending, front and rear walls 24 `and"26 and vertically spaced upper` and lower horizontally extending walls 28 and 30, said upperand lower walls and said front and rear Walls defining a rectangular space 32. It will be noted that the side of structure 22 which is op# positeV the hingedside of door I4 is open and substantially flush-with the adjacent side of said dOl.'

`Space 32 which is confined within the various s wall elements of structure 22 is adapted for remay be Pemployed as easily and effectively with a used heating compartment as with a newheating compartment, and vice Versa. l

. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become readily understood from a reference i tothe following specication taken inconjunction with the accompanying sheet of drawings wherein: 1 Y

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a door-receiving wall of a heating compartment and shows the door in closed position and the elements; of

the novel safety device in operative positions, parts of*V said figure being broken away and in sectionto 'illustrate-more clearly some of the detailsy of theconstruction thereat;v 1 I .l

Figures 23 and 4 are sections taken along the n lines 2-2, 3`3 and 4-4 respectively in Figure 1;

e junction with compartments which are heated by ceiving anielongated rectangular rod 34 one end of ture to permit movement of said rod about the horizontal transverseV axis ofsaid pin, the opposite Lend of said rod being reduced in cross section to provide a cylindrically shaped portion 38 which extends outwardly of said space into overlying relationship with -the adjacent portion of compartment wall Ill. In view of the lengthof rod 34 and of its movability aboutpin 36 relatively to walls 24 and126, it` has been found desirable to make the width of'said rod less than the inner spacing between said Walls, so that during movement of said rod,there will be little or no contact `with said walls., However, rod 34 should be guided in its movement about pin 36 and, for this reason, a

roller 40 isfreely arranged about'V the inner end of cylinder 38 in abutment with the outer end of Whereas walls 24 and 26 of structure 2,2 carry pin I3,6 about` whichrod `34 is movable, Walls 28 c s and-,30 @isaidssiructure are adapted. respete,

Structure 22 includes horizoni -'tively, to support the head end and threaded lower end of a vertically arranged bolt 42, said rod being formed with an opening 44 through which said bolt is freely received. It will be noted that opening 44 is large enough to prevent any interference between bolt 42 and rod 34 during movement of the latter about pin 36, and it will also be noted that such movement of said rod is normally in `a clockwise directiondue to the provision of a spring 46 which is telescopically arranged about said'bolt with its upper end in abutment with the lower face of said rod and its lower end in abutment with the upper face of a nut 4B threadedly received on the lower end of said bolt for adjustment therealong to effectuate variable tensioning of said spring.

-Cylindrical portion 38 of rod 34 in addition to carrying roller 4o, carries another roller 50 which is to serve, as will be seen, as a cam follower, and between said rollers said cylindrical portion preferably carries a rotatable ller 52, said rollers and said ller beingheld against displacementffrorn saidfcylindrical portion )by means of a washerlli which is heldin place in any ysuitable. manner at the extreme. outer .end of said cylindricalportion.

Theportionof vcompartment wall IG. residing directlyaboveroller or camfollower 5!) carries a plate-.56 with which is .integrally formed .aforwardly extending, ver-tical, `cam-forming portion 58 which at its inner, lower corner is spaced from said compartment wall to provide va-rearwardly inclined cam surface `Eil directly overlying a substantially central portion of .roller .50.

it will be noted that element 56 of unit 55458-50 is adapted for adjustable positioning in a vvertical direction, Ybut this construction is not'neoessaryand is.shown.purely1for the purpose of illustration, sinceany adjustability Ibetween cam surface 60 and cam `followerkiil may be takencare of `by'adjust'ing the vertical positioning of nut'li. y

Upon adjusting lthe .tension of spring 4S by rnanipulation-ofnut 48 with respect tothe pressure which is `to Y be ydeemed ythe' critical pressure within the heating compartment, door` I4 "may be closedbyrnanually lowering the rod 34 so'that roller 5o will miss element 58 of unit 56-58-6-0. After -door lHi has been Aso closed, conditions may `arise within the heating compartment which would possibly raise ythe pressure to 'or above aforementioned critical pressure, in which eventV this 'pressure would force the door-.out-

wardlyand cause rol-ler 59 to=roll along or follow cani .'surfaceiii, 'the while forcingrod tdown- Wa'rdly -ag-ainst the pressure ofspring 46 jkuntil said roller would `clear the lowerfend ofsaid'oam surface :and permit said door toppen ffullythe access opening l2. Of course, pressure relief `may be :brought labout 'byithe slightest opening Iof door M but, whether relief is obtained by lthe ro-ller 50 fully or only-'partially clearing the 4end of :cam surface', relief isnever-theles/ssafely, automatically andfaultlesslyh-ad.

f VAlthough the `invention has been f described with some detail, :it is 1to 'be :understood that 'descrip-tion is 'for lthe'fpurpose :of` illustration 'only and is' not to 'betakenas denitive .of the limits of -the'inventive idea. flieri'gldt is reserved tomake such changesfintthe details-'of construction and :arrangement ...of .parts .aswill fall within the purview of the attached claims.-

g1. ajdevice of the characterfuescnbeaineluding,a keeper secured to awallfha-ving-an opentermediate the ends thereof for exerting a pressure thereupon to oppose movement of said porv'tion along said cam surfaces in one direction,

and means .selectively operable for varying said pressure.

22 A device'of the character described including, aplate member secured to a wall having anopening therein and which member is formed with a forwardly extending .portion Vhaving a rearwardly .inclined-cam surface and a forwardly inclined cam surface, a :latch 4having one end pivotally carried by a movable closure member for-theopeningfor movement therewith as well as for movement :abou-tan axis and which latch is formed ywith a follower portion on its free swinging endfmovable 'along said surfaces about said axis responsive tomovement ofthe closure member, -said follower portion Vhaving :formed thereon a door engaging guide and vresilient means intermediate .the endsof the latch operable for urging said follower portionl toward'the upper fend of said surfaces.

A device of the-charactervdescribedincluding, a keeper secured to a wall havinganopening therein and which keeper comprises afforwardly f extendingY portion having v.forwardly and rearwardly inclined cam ysurfaces'a casing -support'ca'rriedby a .movable `closure member .for the opening, valatch having .one end :pivoted to said support for movement 'faboutan axisand with :the member and vhavinga follower; portion on the free. end-.thereofmovable .alongtsaid .cam

. surfaces `aboutxsaid aXis'responsive-to 'movement of .the .closure :memberia guidemember adjacent the follower engaging .the casing support, a threaded; adjusting bolt projectinginto and .carried by said support-.afspi'ing .carr-iedlby said adjusting `bolt in engagement vwith said 'latch f o1urging said folle-wer r portion toward the upper end of jsaid surface :andra n'ut .onfsaid bolt engaginglthe opposite endoisad spring.

4. A device of thecharacter .described including, a keeper secured toa wall having-Ianopening therein and Iwhich-keeper comprises va forwardly extending portion having 'arearwardly and forwardly" inclined A'earn surfaces, a casing support carried by a movable closure member 'for tnej'opening, a latch bar having one endpivoted to said-casing support fon-movement about 'an axis and with the member-and 'having ya Ifollower portion -on'the free swinging lend movable along said learn surfaces about said axis responsive to movement of theclo'sure member, '-a guider roller on said follower portion engaging said casing, a threaded adjusting bolt extending into` and carriedby-saidc-asing'support, Aa spring carried by said adjusting bolt in engagement with the intermediate "portion of said latch for urging "said follower'portion-toward the upper end of' said surfacesgand anadjust-ment nut threaded on the boltoperable for varying the pressure of saidsnring, 7" K vanuit-:1A 

